Chavez asks Venezuelans to tweet on speculators

[Synicus Maximus]

Source: AP

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez urged supporters to use Twitter to blow the whistle on currency speculators on Sunday and announced that police raids on illegal traders would continue as Venezuela's government tries to defend the embattled bolivar.

The socialist leader asked Venezuelans to send messages identifying illegal traders. He described them as "thieves" who must be punished for currency speculation, which he blames for rapidly rising inflation.

"My Twitter account is open for you to denounce them," Chavez said during his weekly radio and television program. "We're going to launch several raids. We've already launched some raids, thanks to the complaints from the people."

Venezuelan authorities began raiding currency trading offices last week and arrested a man who posts black-market rates for currency on the Internet. Jaime Renteria, 52, is apparently the first person arrested for illegal currency trading under Chavez's new crackdown, which has been prompted by a sharp decline in the free-market value of the bolivar.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iIXmfBNJajSjTSALM0NN3kO2JB2QD9FO69H03

[architect359]

1. "denounce" via twitter, eh?

Well, hope they have a system in place to prove guilt over innocence after said denouncement.

...next thing you know, people will be accusing each other becuase someone didn't brush their teeth or something.